Jesse James 1873 --- committed the world’s first train robbery on July 21. (Adair, Iowa)

Herbert Hoover 1874 --- 1st US President born west of the Mississippi Annie Moore 1892 --- 1st immigrant to pass through Ellis Island. She was 15 years old and from County Cork, Ireland

Alexander Winton 1903 --- set the 1st land speed record in car racing. Set at Daytona Beach, his speed was 68.18 mph.

Arthur R. Eldred 1912 --- 1st boy to reach the rank of Eagle Scout -- the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America program. He was of Oceanside, NY.

Dolly, the lamb 1996 --- 1st cloned mammal.

And Mary the mother of Jesus was the First to carry the Gospel

This is the first and only time in recorded history that the Holy Spirit of God was the source of conception for a child, in this case the Son of God, Jesus. There is nothing sinful, nothing sensual or obscene about the occasion. Luke tells us that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” (1:35)

The story of the virgin birth is recorded only in Matthew and Luke. But what purpose does the story serve - why is it important for us to know today? Let’s look at some answers to those questions.

I. WHY THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION?

The Catholic church has always considered Mary’s pregnancy an immaculate conception. This means that there was no human father for impregnation and conception to take place. In this sense, the virgin birth became an affirmation to the uniqueness of Jesus. His followers believed that Jesus was God’s son, different from any person who had ever lived or who would appear.

The story of the virgin birth traced this uniqueness back to the beginning, showing that God and God alone was responsible for his birth.

The story also shows us that God’s son had actually been born of a human mother and had entered the world as a real human being. From the moment of his conception Jesus developed as any other child and he entered the world through completely normal human processes.

This served to refute the influence of teachers in later years who argued that the divine Christ had no real identity as a human being. This idea formed the basis of Gnostic Christology which challenged Christianity in the second century, but began its formation in the first century. The story of the virgin birth said in unmistakable terms that the human Jesus and the divine Christ were one in the same.